Oil-tank.



E. A. WAS$ON,& P. M. GOOLEY,

OIL TANK.

APPLICATION TILED oar. 29, 1913,

atented Feb. 9, 1915.

, flwewefan Z @6299? mascara i. is.

EXAS.

GEL-QANK,

specification of Letters listens relented l elo. 9,

Application filed Catcher 28, 15313. fierial 33. 737,863.

To all whom it may concern:

it known that e, EDGAR A, li fnsson and FRANCIS M. CooLnY, citizens of the United. States, and residents of Beaumont, in the county of Jefferson State of Texashave invented a new and useful Iniproveinent in Oil-Tanks, of Wl1lC-l1-tll6 following is e specification.

This invention. relates to an improvement in oil tanks, and more particularly to on improved means for extinguishing fires in.

unks.

One of the principal objects of the inve tion is to provide on oil tank with. means for allowing the escape of exploded gases, when the gases are ignited by lightning or other sources. 3

further object of the invention isto pro 'ide an oil? tonlc having outlet valves, and ineens'for causing the explosion of the guess contained. 'ithin the tank upon lightning striking near the tank, the valves being adapted to open to allow escape of the ere plosii'o gases, and then to shut u'liereby to cut oil the supply of 11, thus smothering the fore. 1

Another object of the invention is to pro vide the top of on. oil tunli with openings, and automatic closures tieiefoi adopted to he opened by the force of exploding gases to allow the escape ogf the 821146, and to subsequently automatically close the openings, for cutting of? the supply of oxygen, thereby extinguishing the flames,

Another object of the invention is the proi'ision of. device for extinguishing fires in oil tanks, which Will he simple, durable, efficient in operation, and inexpensive in. manufacture.

1th these end other object: in View invention. resides in the construction, combination, and arrangement oi ports, heroinufter more fully described and. claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drewingin which lilie characters. of. ence indi ate like parts throughout the figure of which,

. Figure 1 represent-s a top plan View of portion of the roof of on oil tank, constructed according to our invention. Fig; represents vertical, trunsverse, sectional view taken on the plane-indicated by the broken line 22- of Fig 1, and Fig. 3 represents a detail plan View ofone of; the closures.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 5' indicates a circular oil tank provided so explosion will open closure, lu

:Wltl]. a substantially conical roof ('3, hu king; its outer edge bent downwardly and riveted or otherwise secured to the upper edge of the tank. The apex of the root lms secured thereon a hollow cup 7, supporting u hall 8, through which extends e lightning rod 9, the inner end of which projects through an opening in the apex of the roof into the interior of the tzml:v The roof provided adjacent cap T with a plurality o'l equidis it substantially trinngulur shaped open- 11. and at outer ed with :1 circular series of equidistant sulsumtiully rectangular openings 12. said opcnin 's ll and 12 being arranged radially of the roof, the openings extending from the extreme outer edgh of the roof to n point inwardly thereof. i

All. of the roofv openings are provided are of substantially e some shape as the openings hut of at slightly larger pcrimctoz end the closures arc hinged us at ll to the u p or Sll'lfi of the roof, the closures for ope. ho hinged at El ll outer edges to thereof toe closures for opening; 152 heing hinged it their inner edges to the roof.

in order, to normally hold cosu e zzinst root. pintle pins i of e h L9 have i'i.teifp cent leuves of the hinges, coiled sprif' having their opposite ends bent over t hinge leaves for pressing the closures in con-duct with the roof, to normally close the opei'iings.

reason of the roof liming conicul the gases from the oil will collect at first t 1e apex of the roof, end the pre e will thereiore be greatest at this point, and it For this reason that openings here heen provided near the open, so that the pi of the collecting orercou; the tentuning rod. is so wronged that upon being strum lightning, the lightning will be Uuf l(l into the 'nterior of the tank, and explode the therein, which 1.3 the tension of sprin l? as il stmted in dotted lines in Fig. 2,-thus allowing the exploded gases to escape, and the force of the explosion .lmvin been spent, the closures will automatically resume their normal positions by means of springs 16 and will thus cut d the supply of air to the interior of the tank, thereby smothering the flames and causing the fire to die out.

It is well known that in many instances lightning upon striking a rod and passing throiigh the ground wire, will jump the wire, since the latter is in many instances too small to accommodate the huge amount of electricity, thus greatly damaging the building or. other structure to which the rod is secured. Especially is this true, if the structure is made of metal. Should a metallic or a wooden tank cover be provided with a lightning rod haying a ground wire, the danger of a bolt of lightning" jumping the wire and tearing a hole in the root 'would he ever present, and should this ocmanner that it can do no harm, since the.

closures will shut down over the openings subsequent to the explosion and thus cut off all air supply and smother the fire.

Although we have described the preferred embodiment of our invention, we may do sire to make such changes in the construe tion, combination. and arrangement of parts thereof, as do not depart from the spirit oi the invention and the scope of th 1 appended claims.

We claim: e

1. An oil tank having a roof sloping up wardly toward its center and provided witha lightning rod adapted to conduct lightning within the tank at that point and a plurality of openings in proximity to said rod, closures for said openings hinged to said root at their outer edges and tapering inwardly therefrom. said root provided with a circular series of openings atf its outer edge. closures for last said openings hinged to said root at their inner edges. and springs for holding all. oi said closures normally against said root, tor closing said openings.

2. An oil. tank having a root sloping upwardly toward its center and provided with a lightning-g rod adapted to conduct lightning within the tank. and a plurality of openings in proximity to said rod, closures for said openings hinged to said roof, said roof provided with a. circular series of openings at its outer edge, said openings eXtending from the outer edge of the roof toward the center thereof, closures for last said openings hinged to said roof, and means for normally holding said closures against said roof, for closing said openings. 3. An oil tank having a roof sloping upnrdly toward its center, and provided with a lightning rod adapted to conduct lightning withinthe tank and with a plurality of openings in proximity thereto,- said roof provided with openings at its outer edge, and means for normally closing all of said openings.

4:. An oil tank having a roof provided with a lightning rod adapted to conduct lightning within the tank and with a pluraiity of openings, and closures hinged to said roof and adapted to normally close said openings.

3. An oil tank with a. lightning rod adapted to conduct lightning within the tank, and a pluralit of openings arranged in rings one within the other. one of the rings being in close proximity to said rod, and closures for said openings adapted to normally close the same. p

'6. An oil tank having a roof sloping upwardly toward its center, and provided with a series of openings at its apex, and a second series of openings at its outer edge means for normally closing all of the openinns and means for conducting lightning :wiihin thetank at a point adjacent the openings at the apex of the roof.

An oil tank having a roof provided with an opening therein, a hollow cap secured above said opening, a ball supported by said cap, and a lightning rod extending throughsaid ball and into the tank through the opening in the roof.

8. An oil tank having a roof sloping uphaving a roof provided wardly toward its center and provided with.

an. opening at its apex, a hollow cap secured above said opening, a lightning irod supported by said cap and extending into the tank through the opening in the roof, said roof novided with a series. of openings in proximity tothe lightning rod, and means for nonnall closing said openings.

An oil tank having a roof provided with openings. check valves for preventing the entrance oi air into the tank through the openings and an electrical condi'lctor for conductinglightning within the tank.

EDGAR ALLEN WASSON. FRANCIS MARIAN COOLEY/ Y itnesses: i

F. G. VAUGHN, LEONA LEWIS. 

